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Saturday, April 25, 2015

DNA Match Group & Derbhfine Names

If your Y-DNA
match group has developed a strong geographic pattern this will allow you to
research the primary sources of that location.The records in many areas in the north of Ireland, Argyll, the southern
Hebrides, are remarkably intact, and if is very possible to find your ancestor
listed in them and extract a genealogy from the traditional Gaelic method of
recording surnames.

Keeping with the
Gaelic custom a surname often appears in a format that carried short genealogy
in them based on the derbhfine (said jerub-finn-ah).The derbhfine name contained four generations
of the man’s family back to his paternal great grandfather.The derbhfine gradually gave way to a three
generation format called a gelfine.

This naming
practice was important in the Gaelic world because their society was one of
caste and heredity.Gaelic society
needed to know not only your name, but the names of your father, grandfather,
and great grandfather.It provided the
information needed to explain who a man was and the lands and rights of his
family within his district and society.An
example of Gaelic surnames from this time: a man named Dónall Mac Ailein Mhic
Eáin had a son named Lachlan who took the name Lachlan Mac Dónaill Mhic Ailein
Mhic Eáin.His surname is Mac Dónaill
and the Mhic Ailein tells you who his grandfather was.

The use of clan
surnames was not universal and was a form often found only on legal documents written
by government officials.[1]Clan surnames were used more by the oldest sons
of landed families and these names functioned as a title as well as a name.However, by following the derfbhfine name you
can accurately track your ancestor’s family back for many generations.

This does take
some skill and at least some knowledge of Gaelic is required. The records are
written in Gaelic, phonetic Gaelic (usually done by a Lallans speaking clerk),
Latin, Lallans, and Lallan’s influenced English.For an example we will look at the
descendants of a historical Argyll man, Donnchadh Rua Mac Ailín Mhic Eáin
Riabhach of Dunamuck.

Here is an example
of a derbhfine surname of one of his descendants in a primary source:“On 14 January of that year (1612), Archibald
M’Eane reoch Vc Donchie roy Vc Lachlane was made principal to Walter Lamont son of John Lamont of Anaskeog.”The Cautioners listed were Giolla Easpuig Mac
Dónaill Mhic Dhonnchaidh Rua Mhic Lachlainn and Lachlan Mac Dónaill Mhic
Dhonnchaidh Rua Mhic Lachlainn.[2]If we take the name of the principal we have “Archibald M’Eane
reoch Vc Donchie roy Vc Lachlane” which allows us to identify this man back to
his grandfather and connect him to Donnchadh Rua Mac Ailín Mhic Eáin Riabhach
of Dunamuck.In Gaelic his name is “Giolla
Easpuig Mac Eáin Riabhach Mhic Dhonnchaid Rua Mhic Loclainn.”Translated into English: “Archibald son of
brindled John grandson of Red Duncan of the clan Lachlainn. Of interest, the
clerk wrote the last name in this derbhfine as a clan surname rather than by
his actual great-grandfather’s surname which was AileanThis
was done because his grandfather, Ailean Mac Eáin Riabhach, was the Taoiseach
of Clann Lachlainn in Glassary. The two
Cautioners listed are of the same family and both carry “Mhic Dhonnchaidh Rua”
in their names and the House of Dunamuch tag which positively identifies these
men. The derbhfine surnames and Dunamuch
House name allows us toconnect the principal and the Cautioners to the
historical figure Donnchadh Rua Mac Ailín Mhic Eáin Riabhach who was the Taoiseach
of House Dunamuck, a sept of Clann Lachlainn in Glassary who ruled there from
1460s into the early 1500s.

Here is an example
using the same family of the Gelfine format surname: Donnchadh Rua Mac Ailín’s
oldest son and heir was Lachlann Mac Donnchaidh Rua.He appears in the Poltalloch Writs on 20 October 1547 in connection with a precept of clare constat.[3]His name is written “Lachlan McDonche VcAllan
of Dunemuck.”The use of the House name
of Dunamuch and the gelfine name allows us to positively link this man with
Donnchadh Rua Mac Ailín.

So take
heart.If your DNA match group has
provided you with a geographic area to focus on, it is possible to use primary
sources to extract a real genealogy.You
can use the Derbhfine and Gelfine surnames along with land transactions of
merklands and pennylands to follow the trail of your ancestors.

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Barry R McCain is an independent scholar, writer and genetic genealogy consultant living in Oxford, Mississippi. He has a BA with honours from Ole Miss in history and is a Gaelic speaker. He is the Director of the Ulster Heritage DNA Project and several other DNA projects that focus on Argyll kinship groups. Mr. McCain is available as a genetic genealogy consultant for families of Irish and Scottish ancestry and he specializes in Ulster, West Highlands, Hebrides, and western Lowland Scotland research. He is available for speaking engagements on the topics relating to Ulster, Scottish, and Scots-Irish, history, and Irish and Scottish genetic genealogy.